As summer bids farewell (bummer, I know!), so comes the dreaded time of the year when stress, anxiety, heavy workloads and swamped schedules become the new normal.
To keep track of the chaos of another semester, I transform into an absolute monster when it comes to tracking and managing ‘to-do’ lists for my university courses. However, it was during my first year of university where the constant pressure of making and following lists for each week began to take a toll on my well being. I was losing focus and motivation in prioritizing tasks and failing to recognize what I wanted to achieve during a new chapter in my life.
So, I decided to sit down one day and organize my calendar with my tasks that I had to complete during the semester. I wasn’t going to rely on lists each week to determine how my day would pan out, I would make the judgements for myself. However, it was also during this moment where I felt it was necessary to only construct a list for the sake of expressing my objectives for personal growth and change. This would turn into a list of goals for what I wanted to achieve or what I would try to achieve by the end of my first year.
Now, I understand that some people don’t want to make lists in the first place because they don’t want to feel overwhelmed. However, your goals or aspirations do not have to be treated like a legitimate ‘to-do’ list. Instead, it’s about recognizing what you to accomplish or strive to achieve for yourself, while taking the time to listen to your body, mind and emotions.
When I make goals, I always repeat to myself, “Here’s what you are reaching for, if something doesn’t go the way it’s planned…it’s not a big deal. Yes, you may be disappointed but you’re also human. Keep going!”
For this upcoming academic year, I drafted a list of three plausible goals that I want to achieve:
- Focus on myself
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This may sound odd, but every time a new school year begins, my first thought that holds over me for weeks circle around: Who will want to still be friends? Will I have any friends? Will people still like me? Will my friends want to hang around me or be my partner? And the questions continue to go on like this. I’ll admit, this process of allowing myself to constantly worry about seeking approval from others is very exhausting and emotionally draining. That is why I want to accomplish gaining a balance between being independent and not having to rely on others to seek a validation of living university life to the fullest. I want to be comfortable knowing that I don’t have to feel pressured to sit next to the same people everyday to prove to others that I am not an outcast or antisocial. I want to be able to admit to myself that I can officially understand when a friendship/relationship may not be in my best interest. I want to achieve being confident and content with who I am and that I don’t have to feel guilty for pulling myself out of situations that are causing a downward spiral regarding my self-esteem, mental health, and personal development.
- Giving all that I have into my assignments
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Slacking off is not a huge surprise to anyone when it comes to tackling your workload head-on. However, too often do I fall into this trap more than I would like to – or even realize – until I am grinding for a paper until the very last second.
Despite this matter, I am focusing on prioritizing my tasks week by week so that I can deliver work that I am proud of. I want to make a great effort to stay on top of all my tasks and working to the best of my abilities to produce work that I feel I have taken the appropriate amount of energy, time and passion into it. On a side note, giving all that I have into my assignments means that I have to adapt to not being intimidated to reach out to my professors and TA’s straight away when a question arises.
- Pursuing my hobby
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I have come to realize that because I can become so consumed by my work and school habits, I lose motivation and become completely exhausted for taking the time and effort to create content for my blog. Blogging has always been a hobby of mine because I wanted to put my voice on a platform that I could control. Blogging has given me a new-found confidence in being able to speak about my own opinions, secrets and/or emotions for others to relate to in some way. As of right now, I am setting a side one hour for every two weeks to catch up on finalizing my platform and creating content that others can take an interest in.
Overall, if I succeed in achieving all three goals, or only end up attempting to achieve at least one, I know that I am trying my absolute best to pursue my personal growth and well being outside of the bustling halls of campus.
Now, it’s your turn!